The wife and I are looking forward to spending this evening among friends at a local establishment. The absolutely spectacular mid-September weather is here, and the German restaurant and brewery is well known for the delicious and plentiful German buffet and the wide variety of their on-site freshly brewed beer. Of course, there will be an outdoor dining option, where the service is great and the music is provided by locally popular performers. Our wives are responsible for keeping our group together and the highly regarded September dinner is the best of them all. I'm skipping lunch, by the way.

The Kitchener-Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) Oktoberfest has been held annually since 1969. This year it runs 6-14 October. It is North America's largest Bavarian festival and the second largest Oktoberfest in the world; it attracts over 700,000 visitors each year. http://www.oktoberfest.ca/. Importantly, it's less than an hour's drive from where I live.